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The importance of fats in our diet should not be neglected. It is one of the essential nutrients which our body needs, though in small amounts, for its proper functioning.

What constitutes fat in cooking?
Margarine, butter, other spreading fats and low fat spreads, cooking oils, oil-based salad dressings, mayonnaise, cream etc.

Importance of fats:
1. They are excellent source of energy.Infact they provide more than twice the energy of sugars.

2. Fats acts as insulator.Cholestrol and other good fat deposits under the layers of skin and act as barrier by preventing the heat to escape from body in colder conditions and also provides protection from heat in warm climates.
3. In case of any injury or accidents, fats acts as protective lining of our organs like lidneys, stomach, intestines, uterus and ovaries etc. One can say they act like packaging material of our vital body parts.
4. As fats are important part of our body cells, they also protect against the harmful radiations of x-rays.
5. Fats are important in maintaining healthy pregnancy and lactation. During pregnancy, it physically protects fetus by its covering and a breast-fed baby receives its cholesterol and other good fats from mother's milk only.
6. Fats also help body in absorbing certain vitamin and minerals. For example both cholesterol and sunlight is required for production of vitamin D in the skin. Similarly absorption of vitamin A, D, K is also dependant on fats.
7. Last but not the least, fats make the meals more delicious.

In a nutshell fats have their own importance in maintaining good health .There's no need to fear or avoid fats in your diet if taken in moderate quantity. To reduce the risk of heart diseases, limit the consumption of saturated fats which are found in animal products, cakes, pastries etc. Other than this, select oils containing monounsaturates (e.g. olive and rapeseed oils) and polyunsaturates (e.g. sunflower, corn and rapeseed oils) instead of saturate.

Learn more about this author, Milan Singhal.
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